The Effects of Heavy Drinking and Socio-Economic Status on Driving Behavior

Abstract

Drinking and driving is a primary cause of traffic fatalities and it has been suggested that heavy drinkers comprise a major portion of those drivers involved in drinking and driving accidents. Although several experimental studies have investigated the driving behavior of social drinkers or the general population under the influence of alcohol, few studies have focused on a comparison of driving behavior between heavy and social drinkers. In addition, these studies have not taken other potentially influential factors into account such as socio-economic status. To address this important question in research and practice, a driving simulator study was conducted with a 2×2 factorial design (heavy vs. social drinker; lower vs. higher income). Sixty-four participants were asked to operate a driving simulator following traffic rules. Analyses indicated that within the higher income group, heavy drinkers were likely to have more frequent speeding exceedances and speed for longer time periods than social drinkers. The implications of the current findings in transportation safety and drinking and driving prevention are also discussed.